Spartans beat Chippewas 5-2 in second annual 'Clash at Comerica'
DETROIT — It took Michigan State starting pitcher Mick VanVossen an inning to settle himself.
After all, it wasn’t an ordinary college baseball game. It was the second annual Clash at Comerica against Central Michigan inside Comerica Park in front of 3,458 fans.
The freshman walked the leadoff batter, threw a wild pitch and gave up a RBI single to Central Michigan senior William Arnold.
After that, VanVossen was dialed-in.
He retired 10-straight Chippewas while the offense erased a 1-0 deficit as the Spartans swept the three-game season series, beating CMU, who was on a 10-game winning streak, 5-2 Tuesday evening.
"I got the jitters out in the first inning, like coach said," VanVossen said. "I just really got a flow going and the game went by well and it was easy to pitch behind five runs that our team scored early and it played out well."
The Chippewas made a couple attempts to come back, but the four-run lead was too much.
A single in fifth inning by freshman Patrick MacKenzie broke VanVossen’s retired streak, but then he retired three-straight before senior Sam Russell doubled off the left-field wall with two outs in the sixth inning.
Senior Nate Theunissen, who forced a two-out walk, was sent home from first base on Russell’s double, but was tagged out because of a spot-on throw from senior Justin Scanlon who received the initial throw from left fielder junior Jordan Keur.
"We felt you get a two-out hit and it's only our third hit of the game at that particular time and he (VanVossen) was throwing the ball pretty good, so yeah, we probably took a little gamble," said head coach Steve Jaksa. "But to get two, two-out hits in that situation, the odds are probably against you, so as you brought him around third, you're going to force their guy to make a perfect throw to the plate. He makes a perfect throw to the plate."
"If it's five feet offline, we score the run and again, that's a big run in that situation."
Senior Eric Wrozek put some life into the Chippewas in the seventh inning when he hit a solo home run to right field, just over a leaping John Martinez, cutting the MSU lead to 5-2.
However, the second and third inning run support led by sophomore Joel Fisher’s second-inning two-run home run into the bullpen in left field was enough for the Spartans.
The two-run second inning was repeated in similar form an inning later, scoring two runs, but in different fashion.
Scanlon led off the inning with a triple to left field and scored on a failed pickoff attempt by CMU starting pitcher junior Rick Dodridge.
MSU junior Torsten Boss, who walked and advanced to second off Dodridge’s failed pickoff, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when Martinez singled through the left side.
"I don't think that deflated us," Jaksa said. "I think we were down a little bit, but I think we battled really hard and down the stretch we put some good at-bats on it. I thought Nate hit the ball really well, Wrozy hit a home run."
VanVossen won his fourth game of the season, improving to 4-0. He went seven innings, allowing five hits with two earned runs and four strikeouts.
Dodridge lasted two and 1/3 innings giving up four earned runs off five hits with three walks in the loss.
CMU has dropped both games in the Clash at Comerica.
The Chippewas are one game back of Toledo for first place in the Mid-American Conference West standings with one series remaining.
CMU hosts in-state rival Western Michigan at 3:05 p.m. Thursday for the first of a three-game series.
